CAMP RIPLEY, Minn — Brian Dirks stands on a gravel road lined with dense forest, a radio antenna in his outstretched hand

He punches the frequency of his target into a receiver hanging from a strap over his shoulder, aims the antenna toward an overgrown swamp and listens, ignoring the low booms of artillery fire in the distance

For a few minutes, nothing Then Dirks hears what he's been waiting for: a faint but distinct sound that tells him the young male gray wolf is nearby With a couple of readings, a compass and a map, Dirks can use simple geometry to pinpoint the wolf's exact location

A Humvee rumbles by, and Dirks steps to the side of the road to let it pass Here, working with and around the military is a way of life

The research began 16 years ago after gray wolves were first spotted in Camp Ripley near Little Falls

The 53,000-acre military training facility is also a wildlife refuge Although some areas are heavily used for troop training, much of its vast forests, swamps and hills have little, if any, human activity

This is the southern edge of the range for gray wolves, which were hunted, trapped and poisoned until fewer than 700 remained in Minnesota by the 1970s In 1974, they were federally protected as an endangered species

Since then, wolves have made a steady comeback Wolf tracks were first discovered at Camp Ripley in 1993, and pup sightings were reported soon after

Federal officials wanted to know how the protected wolves were affected by military exercises, and whether training activities would need to be restricted In 1996, the US Department of Military Affairs began funding the Department of Natural Resources to capture some of the wolves, fit them with radio collars and release them so they can be monitored and tracked

The study has provided researchers with valuable knowledge about the size of the packs, how far wolves travel and how they coexist with humans

Since the start of the study, 41 of Camp Ripley's wolves have been captured and collared, although few are still alive Researchers are currently monitoring four collared wolves

In January, gray wolves near the western Great Lakes were removed from the federal endangered species list The DNR adopted a plan to manage the wolf population in Minnesota and is working out details for a hunting season this fall that will allow 400 wolves to be harvested Wolf hunting won't be allowed at Camp Ripley, but the animals sometimes leave the camp's borders

The recovery of gray wolves is good news for the researchers who have spent years studying the animals' movements They say the focus of the Camp Ripley wolf study might change, but its importance won't diminish

Posted: 2018-03-16 08:45 AM ST. PAUL, Minn. - Col. Angela Steward-Randle grew up in a military family - her father served in the Army on active duty - but it was a chance encounter with a friend at college that led her to want to make the military a career.

"My story is no different than many others," Steward-Randle, the Director of Human Resources, Manpower and Personnel for the Minnesota National Guard said. "I was in college and looking for financial resources to help pay for it."

Her college friend suggested they attend a summer training with the Reserve Officer Training Corps that had no obligation and could earn them some money. The friend never ended up going, but Steward-Randle did. After earning recognition as the top honor graduate and receiving an offer of a scholarship, she was hooked.

Posted: 2018-03-09 03:13 PM WOODBURY, Minn. - Staff Sgt. Benjamin Kroll, an analyst with the Minnesota National Guard's Counterdrug Task Force who is assigned to work with the Hennepin County Sherriff's Office was recognized for his achievements as the Analyst of the Year during the 2018 Minnesota Association of Crime and Intelligence Analysts Training Symposium in Woodbury, Minnesota, March 7, 2018.

Through a partnership with Minnesota law enforcement agencies throughout the state, the Minnesota National Guard Counterdrug Task Force (MNCDTF) supports the anti-drug initiatives to counter all primary drug threats and vulnerabilities through the effective application of available assets, said Maj. Jon Dotterer, Counterdrug Coordinator for the State of Minnesota. The goal for the program is to support federal, state, tribal, and local agencies in the detection, disruption, interdiction, and curtailment of illicit drugs.

Kroll is one of sixteen service members on the Counterdrug Task Force that provides this force-multiplying service to our communities against illicit drug-use. With the information that law enforcement provide through their patrols and daily operations, Kroll and his colleagues across the state assist by putting together a figurative picture with all of the gathered information which aids in identifying how to move forward with legal action to deter or prevent the sale or use of illegal narcotic drugs.

Posted: 2018-03-08 09:05 AM ST. PAUL, Minn. - "The battlefront is no place for women to be," said Command Sgt. Maj. Earl Kurtzweg, 125th Field Artillery, in an article published in 1976. "There are certain jobs girls say they can do, but they just can't do ... the battlefront is no place for women to be. Other countries in the world use women in combat, but the U.S. has not come around to that way of thinking." Kathy Berg, a New Ulm reporter summarized at the time. "So women in the New Ulm unit take care of personnel files and pay records and leave the fighting to the men."

The Minnesota National Guard has "come around to that way of thinking" since those early days of gender integration. In the last 44 years women have made momentous strides toward inclusion and acceptance. Their accomplishments are testimony to their fortitude and the progressive development of the Minnesota National Guard.

When an accomplished female Soldier is credited with breaking barriers she will often pass that honor to the women that preceded her. Brig. Gen. Johanna Clyborne is such a leader. She acknowledges that she is one of the first females in the Minnesota National Guard who has held key leadership roles, however she sees it differently. "I feel responsible for all women in uniform," said Clyborne. "Women before me opened the door, now I've cleared the room. It's up to the women behind me to hold the room."

"This is what we do," said Maj. Gen. Jon Jensen, Adjutant General of the Minnesota National Guard. "When the local community can't meet the public safety needs, they come to the Guard. We're their normal partner, we're a natural partner, and we're their preferred partner when it comes to filling in the gaps that they can't fill."

At the request of the city, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton authorized the Minnesota National Guard to provide support to security efforts leading up to and during Super Bowl 52. The Guardsmen are providing direct support to and working alongside law enforcement officers from across the state. Like their civilian law enforcement partners, Minnesota Guardsmen are focused on ensuring a safe experience for the residents and visitors who are attending the Super Bowl festivities.